The most powerful tool for finding employment in modern times is networking. Most jobs that are acquired involve some type of networking. Responding to ads and relying on recruiters simply isn’t enough.

Lack of Interview Skills

There are basic guidelines when attending an interview. People tend to forget how important this initial meeting can be and due to this they remain unemployed. The first step is to dress appropriately. It is not recommended to give demands considering potential employers aren’t the ones looking for work. Keep in mind that this is not the best time to argue with the people conducting the interview.

Piercings and Tattoos

In some settings these won’t be a problem, but for the sake of professionalism remove and cover-up as much as possible. Take into account the type of work which is being applied for and remember that few people, if any, from the older generation has appreciation for this type of modern style.

Grooming

Nothings says slouch like a stubble or unwashed hair. How people present themselves speak to how they handle their workload and in turn can make the difference between work and being unemployed.

High Demands

It is unfortunate, but don’t expect the next employer to pick up where the previous one left off. Expectations to receive what used to be earned should be discarded as soon as possible because it will only lead to disappointment.

Overqualified

This is a hard pill to swallow, but most enterprises refrain from employing someone with a Bachelor’s degree in business with 10 years of experience at an entry level position. There are obvious reasons for this scenario. For example, the candidate will constantly be looking for something better and most probably has a “better knowing” attitude.

Not Qualified

It is good thing to take chances, but in the employment world it doesn’t make sense to apply for a job when the qualifications can’t be met. Ultimately it wastes time on both sides.

Smokers

A vast amount of employers will look past smokers because they consider it to be a very bad habit with too many side-effects. Longer breaks, smell and health issues are just some of the reasons why it makes finding employment so much harder.

Decline in a Particular Sector

A specific title or position might be falling away due to the economic struggles across the globe. Vast sectors are reducing and cutting certain areas and it is recommended to either search for something new or go back to school.

Depression

This is a common condition for many people. It can also be a big reason why employment is hard to find as well. The severity of this condition leaves a person unable to function properly or in some cases completely inactive. Get the right medication and treatment before attempting a job search.

Unpleasant Attitude

Potential employers want to meet energetic and positive people. They don’t however look for arrogant or rude employees. Have a good attitude when approaching a new job.

Anger Management

Anger has a way of seeping through the cracks and will no doubt have a great effect on how a person handles different situations. Regardless of where the anger comes from, work through it and don’t let it interfere with any future engagements.

Follow Instructions

When applying for a job be attentive to what is required. Employers have their reasons for certain expectations and it will give them a good idea of how a candidate will perform in an actual working situation. Failing to adhere to basic requirements which involve the application stage will result in unemployment.

Show Up for All Interview Events

Make a note to always take part in events involving the interview process. Skipping an event which is deemed unimportant by the candidate has unprofessional written all over.

Only Speak when Necessary

Although it might not occur to talkative extroverts, too much talking by definition is irritating. Only speak when spoken to and try to stay on topic. Less is more in these situations.

Don’t Avoid Questions

If a question is asked then answer it as directly as possible. There is no need to create a speech which has nothing to do with the answer. What should be avoided are stupid answers. Be honest and open.

Preparation

Nothing has more negative consequences than being under-prepared. It is crucial to see what is coming and how to react. If this or any other above mentioned factors prove to be too difficult to achieve, hire a quality and informed instructor who can help. See it as an investment rather than an expense.

For those who don’t fit the above description and still stay unemployed, it might just be a case of bad luck. In most cases a pattern can be seen which most likely relates to the given elements. Having a positive attitude, friendly approach and necessary qualifications can do wonders in the market place.

Searching for a job is a critical job. You need to keep various aspects in mind before initiating your job hunt. You also need to strategize your job search. This will help you in staying focused and aim for hat is meant for you. You will be able to save a lot of time, money and energy this way.

These three things are very important when a person is in search for a job. Thus, shelter these three things to make the right move.

Creating a Strategic Plan for Your Job Search

Today’s world is so competitive, that you miss one opportunity and might have to wait for it to come your way again, for years together. Thus, it is very important to know which is the right opportunity for you and when to grab you. You will very often come across a number of opportunities. But it is not necessary to grab all of them.

Some opportunities may be beneficial only for a short term while others may be fruitful for a longer term. It is up to you to decide what do you want and when. Focusing on long term goals will help you fetch sustainable and reliable sources of livelihood.

Before you start your job search, jot down the key parameters around which your career has been knit. Then try defining these parameters and justifying whatever you have achieved throughout your career. This will give you a clearer idea about yourself and the work you have done so far. After that, list down your weaknesses.

Do not hesitate in listing down your weaknesses. Everyone in this world has some weaknesses and you are not different. You do not need to spell them to to anybody else. You need to ask yourself what are your weaknesses. Once, you have the list of your weaknesses in your hand, start working on them.

It is not necessary that you will be able to work on them before starting your job search or during your job search. Correcting them is not that important. Recognizing them is more important. Even if someone asks you in an interview about your weaknesses, honestly tell them.

Focus and Define

It is very important for you to know yourself clearly. What you are, what are your goals, what is it that you like doing, what things you do not like doing, etc. Spend some time with yourself and know yourself. If you will know yourself properly, it will become very easy for you to define yourself to others.

This will be helpful when you will be asked to describe yourself in an interview. Also, you will be able to know your achievements. There must be a number of small things which you must have done and which must have earned you accolades but you might not have described them on your profile. It is not necessary also to mention them on your profile. But you should store them in your mind so that when the right time comes you can mention them also.

Make a list of employers you would like to work with

You might be desperately looking for a job but still there would be certain people, companies, etc with whom you would not wish to associate. The reason for this may be anything like their poor name in the market, the low salary they offer, and their domain is not the same as yours, etc. Thus, you need to make a list of employers with whom you would be interested to work with. Then, concentrate on this list only.

Job Search Mission Statement

Once you know the employers you would like to work with, jot down then kind of job you are looking for. Not everyone can do everything. Also, not everyone has interest in everything. There must be some specific areas in which you would be interested in working. Thus, make a list of those areas and drive your job search in that direction only.

The Action Plan

Acting upon everything stated above is the crux of your job search. Acting aggressively and actively is the key to success in your job search. Be passionate about whatever you are doing. Another very important thing to be followed is patience. Patience is the most important factor in a job search. It might take time for a good job to come your way. Wait for it and be patient.

Traditional methods of obtaining employment are no longer effective in today’s world. A simple active job search can prove this. Applying for jobs via job board and waiting for potential employers to start calling you no longer works. You have to go the extra mile. If you are interested in discovering how to conduct an effective job search, you are in the right place.

Below are 8 tips for conducting an effective job search that will make a noticeable difference.

1. Discover yourself

This is the first most important tip to consider when you want to conduct an effective job search. Knowing what you want is critical. You must consider writing down all your interests and hobbies as well as taking self assessments to be able to conduct an effective job search. You should also consider using tools like Career Onestop to help you discover your professional self better.

2. Craft a professional application package highlighting your skills

This is the next tip to consider after discovering your professional self. Your application package should include your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile and portfolio if applicable. All these things are crucial for an effective job search. Below is a quick discussion of what all elements of your application package should look like.

a. Resume: Your resume must be professionally written free of spelling and grammar mistakes. The resume should also be written in such a way that potential employers can quickly identify what sets you apart from all the other candidates. This can be done by stating the skills and value you expect to bring into an organization. Finally, if you are applying for different jobs, each resume should be customized to fit specific jobs because most organizations use applicant tracking systems.

b. Cover letter: Your cover letter must state why a potential employer should consider you for an interview i.e. why you will be a good addition to the company/organization.

c. Your portfolio: It is important to note that you don’t need a portfolio unless you are applying for a job that requires examples/samples of your past work. You should have a digital portfolio that showcases your best work because employers are interested in pre-screening the work of each and every applicant before they can decide who to call for an interview.

d. LinkedIn: This is the last most important component of a professional application package. LinkedIn is the best social media site for the employment world. The site gives you an excellent opportunity to showcase your professional self. According to a recent jobsite survey, over 95{2f7a61b4b3723d89af4d56db0c25f9af413b04bda6c1a742ffb85759a511d2e4} of all employers use LinkedIn to recruit. This simply means you are losing out if you are not on LinkedIn.

3. Establish a brand

This is another important tip to consider for when you are keen on conducting an effective job search today. Your brand is made up of your personal websites, online correspondence, social media profiles (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram) e.t.c. You must make sure your brand gives an impeccable impression on others. To effectively establish a brand, you need to know your skills and expertise. You also need to make sure all your online profiles are similar i.e. use one picture for all social media sites. In summary, if you are successful in branding yourself, you will definitely initiate contact with potential employers.

4. Network frequently

Before going online, the first place everyone should search for employment is within their personal network i.e. family, friends, former colleagues e.t.c. This should be the case because members of your personal network usually know you more in person. They are therefore more likely to recommend you than any other networks. This explains why it is important to network regularly.

5. Target desired companies and positions

You can also conduct an effective job search by being more specific when it comes to the job positions you would prefer and the companies you would want to work for. Targeting desired companies and positions narrows down the job searching field allowing you to see if you have any useful connections in the places or positions you are interested in.

You shouldn’t underestimate the power of referrals in obtaining interviews. You can go as far as contacting hiring managers on sites like LinkedIn to see if you can get useful information on what specific companies are looking for in their candidates.

6. Create job search strategies and plans

After you have targeted desired companies and positions, the next step is crafting a plan and strategies to help you get closer to your goal of securing employment in your desired company. You should evaluate your strategies and plans regularly ensuring you follow up with positive leads. In case what you have been doing isn’t bringing results, you shouldn’t be afraid to try new approaches.

7. Follow-up with potential employers

When your job search strategies and plans land you a promising lead, apply and follow up. For instance, you can consider writing quick notes highlighting you skills and why you are an ideal candidate. The main intention behind this is ensuring you stay on the forefront of your potential employer’s mind.

8. Keep increase your marketability

This is the last important tip to consider in this list when conducting an effective job search that makes a noticeable difference. You shouldn’t get comfortable with your current accomplishments. Continue improving your marketability by increasing your skills set and experience as you conduct a job search. Professional developments make you more marketable.

It’s that time of the year where job seekers need to look at their job searching techniques and resumes. Below are top 10 resume trends expected to dominate 2014.

1. Social media resume

Social media has changed the way the world connects in the past few years. It’s about time we shifted our focus to social media and its role in job searches. If you have a social media profile, you already have an online presence which can be easily found by potential employers with little effort. In fact, statistics indicate that over 90{2f7a61b4b3723d89af4d56db0c25f9af413b04bda6c1a742ffb85759a511d2e4} of employers today are using social media sites like LinkedIn to find and recruit new talent.

It is therefore important to focus on where job search is headed to. You can start by creating a social media resume using sites like resumesocial.com, careercloud.com, visualcv.com among many others. A social media resume is extremely important today for delivering your professional brand on the most popular sites online; social media sites.

2. The Infographic resume

Infographics have also taken over in the recent years in numerous applications. They haven’t however been used widely in job search applications. This is precisely why the inforgraphic resume is expected to be a hot resume trend in 2014. The infographic resume will definitely be more interesting and compelling setting candidates apart from the rest when used in the right industry and right context.

3. Facebook Timeline Resume

Imagine how marketable you could be to the right people if you were able to display your resume on Facebook. There are ongoing attempts to make trendsetting resumes. One of the most popular types of resumes is the Facebook timeline resume. If this type of resume sees the light of day, there is no doubt it willchange how job searching is done from now henceforth. Rumour has it that the resume isn’t far away. Only time will tell.

4. Video resume

Video resumes are also a likely resume trend to look out for in 2014. It is however important to note that this resume type can only complement the traditional resume as opposed to replacing the resume completely. Video resumes provide a perfect avenue for showcasing your career successes as well as achievements. Why this resume trend hasn’t taken off in the past is anyone’s guess. Both employers and employees stand to gain immensely from the whole job searching process if the trend gains momentum in 2014 given the fact that there are many sites offering video resume services i.e. careerbuilder.com, visualcv.com, jobster.com and sparkhire.com.

5. Resumes which raise the bar

Sometimes it’s about improving what you have to set new trends. Over the years, job seekers have become wiser in all aspects of creating resumes. For instance, some resume templates have become absolute. Also, some common resume terms and phrases used in the past no longer feature in most resumes today. In summary, smart job seekers have discovered simple ways of standing out from their competition i.e. cutting the fluff and utilising excellent communication skills. This resume trend is expected to take over in 2014 and subsequent years.

6. Charts and graphs

Gone are the days where resumes featured words only. There is an emerging resume trend of showcasing accomplishments using easily digestible graphs and charts. The trend is expected to be received well because graphs and charts make it easier to understand content. This resume trend is expected to take over in 2014 in industries and positions which require simplified data/information.

7. Quotations

Future resumes are also expected to feature quotations for validation purposes. It is becoming extremely important to substantiate personal brands as well as lend credibility to personal successes. There is no better way to do this other than acquire quotations from clients or supervisors. This explains why this resume trend is expected to dominate in the future.

8. LinkedIn

LinkedIn has become synonymous with professional resumes. Employers are expected to take job searching to the next level in 2014 by checking LinkedIn profiles after examining traditional resumes as well as using LinkedIn to find potential employees. As of 2013, over 90{2f7a61b4b3723d89af4d56db0c25f9af413b04bda6c1a742ffb85759a511d2e4} of employers were using LinkedIn as a source of additional information from potential employees. This trend isn’t expected to change. It will in fact make many job seekers put more effort into their LinkedIn profiles as they look to establish reputable professional brands online.

9. Interesting career summaries

2014 is also expected to be the year when career summaries will seize being boring. Resumes are expected to be more compelling and specific to individual job seekers. This will be the case because resume information has already started being used to create more depth/impact on individual career summaries. 2014 is expected to be the year when career summaries feature numbers which have been quantified to create distinctiveness and impact.

10. Forget the fluff

This is the last resume trend in this list expected to dominate in 2014. Resumes are expected to become more brief and concise. Job seekers seem to have understood the importance of getting straight to the point when it comes to creating effective resumes. This trend will definitely take over in 2014.